This has already been quite a year for songs. Here are just a few of my favorites from the first half of 2016. Unbroken Hearts and Call the Doctor, Austin Lucas (from the Last Chance Records release Between the Moon and the Midwest) Lucas tells his tale of life in the music business, set to […]
Ralph Stanley Remembered
There’s a quote frequently used to describe how old blues musicians managed to get the sound they did despite having no formal training, “it’s in him, and it got to get out.” Â That came to mind last weekend as I heard of the passing of Dr. Ralph Stanley. Â Anyone who heard Stanley perform O Death, […]
Elizabeth Wills – Every Little Star
Somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost an important component of American music. Â In the 70’s, as solo artists, Joni Mitchell and Carol King defined popular music every bit as much as Zeppelin or the Stones. Â Fast forward a couple of decades and Sarah McLachlan and Jewel were the flag-bearers. Â Nowadays, Shawn Colvin […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2016 (So Far), the Albums
It’s been a good year for music so far this year (and the rest of the year is shaping up quite nicely, too). Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2016. WILLOW SPRINGS by MICHAEL MCDERMOTT Michael McDermott channels life’s hardships, both his own and those […]
Monday Morning Video – Matt the Electrician Covers Rick Springfield
We’re going to keep with the covers theme this week. The video quality is a bit iffy on this one, but Matt the Electrician’s humor and personality shine on his cover of this Rick Springfield classic. “In a very real way, as well as a metaphysical way, I think Rick is inside each and every […]
Mayer’s Playlist for June 2016
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH My Way Home by Eli Paperboy Reed They say that what doesn’t kill us just makes us stronger. While not quite that extreme, Brooklyn by way of Boston singer-songwriter Eli Paperboy Reed emerges from the ashes of a major label deal gone bad with a remarkable new album. The slick production […]
Monday Morning Video – Dave Alvin Covers The Beach Boys
Here’s a fun cover to kick off your week. This is Dave Alvin recasting fellow Californians The Beach Boys classic “Surfer Girl” as a tender acoustic ballad.
Monday Morning Video – Greg Trooper’s Ode to Muhammad Ali
Singer-songwriter Greg Trooper often introduces this song by saying, “This is my thank you note to Muhammad Ali for being the greatest.” The song originally appeared on Trooper’s 2003 release Floating. That album featured liner notes by Trooper fan Steve Earle, who wrote, “I taped a TV show with Troop and some other songwriters sitting […]
Robert Rex Waller, Jr – Fancy Free
The snow swirls around the lamp posts and even the bars have been closed for hours.  It’s too cold to kill time, but killing time is all you have left.  Painting that picture of desolation and near despair, Robert Rex Waller, Jr., opens his upcoming album with a version of Utah Phillips’ Walking Through the Snow In […]
Shamrock Shakes and Oxycontin – A Special Boston Playlist, Part 2
The musical ground in Boston and New England has been especially fertile this year. We’ve already seen some outstanding releases by artists that run the gamut from long-time favorites to incredibly talented newcomers. To that end, here is the latest installment in our periodic series highlighting Boston and New England artists. (View the complete series […]